Here are some of these bath time moments.
Smiles♥♥
B trying to get in on the action
This is Bentley washing her:)
scrub scrub scrub!
We left the shampooing for Mommy!
All clean!! Thank you big brother!
Muah!
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Bathing Baby♥
Giving your new baby a bath is such a fun and special time. It can also be a great way for you, or your other child in this case, to bond with baby:) Putting them in a warm tub of water, and watching them soak and splash while trying to figure out what this new liquid substance is and why it is so much fun to hang out in, is all a part of the experience. The sweetest thing about Scarlett's bath time right now is that Bentley wants so badly to wash her. He jumps all over my lap just to grab the washcloth and clean his baby sister. It is truly the most precious thing to watch one baby give another baby a bath♥ He loves his sister so much, and it's so obvious. Scarlett enjoyed this, she thought he was just playing with her and had the cutest little grin on the entire time.
Here are some of these bath time moments.
Smiles♥♥
B trying to get in on the action
This is Bentley washing her:)
scrub scrub scrub!
All clean!! Thank you big brother!
Muah!
♥, The Happy Wife
Here are some of these bath time moments.
Smiles♥♥
B trying to get in on the action
This is Bentley washing her:)
scrub scrub scrub!
All clean!! Thank you big brother!
Muah!
Monday, March 19, 2012
No Sleep In Sight.
As Scarlett turns 4 months old today I'm reflecting back on Bentley at this age and remembering that we had promptly moved him into his own room at 3 months old. I never wanted to get into the habit of Bentley sleeping with us at night. Yes, I love my babies, and though I spend every waking hour with each of them, would love to cuddle with them at night as well, but am a firm believer in establishing healthy sleeping habits for all of my children. As well as a little sleep independence that will benefit them in the future. But at this time, I am not ready to move Scarlett out quite yet. Here is my reason, its a good one...
If you don't already know our situation, the day we brought Scarlett home from the hospital is the day that Bentley's impeccable sleeping habits went out the door. I had no idea that bringing home a sibling would effect him in this way. B.S. (Before Scarlett;) Bentley would gather up his blanky, Mr. Moo, and Giraffe (pillow pet) and tell us good nights, in his own language at the time, which sounded more like "goggen goggen". We would put him in his crib and he would suck his little thumb and peacefully fall asleep:) AND sleep straight through the night! These days, my poor husband has resorted to sleeping on the floor next to his toddler bed every night, or sleeping on one couch while Bentley is on the other, and then transferring him to his room at some point. He will no longer go to sleep on his own and usually freaks out when he finds that he has been moved to his bed in the middle of the night. He wakes up 2-3 times, crying, and Andy takes care of it all! I love my husband so much more for doing this!! He is sacrificing much needed sleep just to help me out, what an amazing man I am married to:-)
I can't imagine when or if Bentley will ever go back to being the amazing sleeper he once was, but for now we just have to make do, each of us sleeping with our designated child .
So this why I am accepting of the fact that Scarlett will be sleeping in her bassinet for a little while longer until we can get Bentley back on track;) And I don't have to sleep alone♥
I thought you might enjoy some precarious sleep positions, Bentley style! See if you can spot Mr. Moo in each of them;)
If you don't already know our situation, the day we brought Scarlett home from the hospital is the day that Bentley's impeccable sleeping habits went out the door. I had no idea that bringing home a sibling would effect him in this way. B.S. (Before Scarlett;) Bentley would gather up his blanky, Mr. Moo, and Giraffe (pillow pet) and tell us good nights, in his own language at the time, which sounded more like "goggen goggen". We would put him in his crib and he would suck his little thumb and peacefully fall asleep:) AND sleep straight through the night! These days, my poor husband has resorted to sleeping on the floor next to his toddler bed every night, or sleeping on one couch while Bentley is on the other, and then transferring him to his room at some point. He will no longer go to sleep on his own and usually freaks out when he finds that he has been moved to his bed in the middle of the night. He wakes up 2-3 times, crying, and Andy takes care of it all! I love my husband so much more for doing this!! He is sacrificing much needed sleep just to help me out, what an amazing man I am married to:-)
I can't imagine when or if Bentley will ever go back to being the amazing sleeper he once was, but for now we just have to make do, each of us sleeping with our designated child .
So this why I am accepting of the fact that Scarlett will be sleeping in her bassinet for a little while longer until we can get Bentley back on track;) And I don't have to sleep alone♥
I thought you might enjoy some precarious sleep positions, Bentley style! See if you can spot Mr. Moo in each of them;)
♥, The Happy Wife
Monday, March 5, 2012
5K For A Cause
One of the many things we want to instill in our children is to live an active and healthy lifestyle. This is the way that I was brought up and would like to pass down to Bentley and Scarlett. My parents were always active and avid runners growing up. My Dad has run the L.A. marathon multiple times and I remember joining both of them for 5k and 10k marathons when my sisters and I were young. We would do the family fun run which was 1 mile, recieve a little medal and feel so proud of ourselves.
This is what I remember and this what I want my children to remember when they are older. And so it begins....
Andy and I took the babies on their very first 5K run on Saturday. Finish Chelsea's Run is dedicated to 17 year old Chelsea King, the Poway High student who tragically had her life cut short while out on a run in Rancho Bernardo. This 5k run is to help raise money for Chelsea's Light Foundation, which provides scholarship's to college-bound teens whom have "embraced Chelsea's service-over-self ethic." Needless to say, we were more than happy to participate.
On a side note, at this time in Bentley's life, strollers are a thing of the past. He doesn't believe in sitting in one, and would much rather "walk like a big boy". This is a battle we do not believe is worth fighting. He is very good about walking right beside us or holding onto one of our hands. But for this race we HAD to put him in the stroller. Let's just say he was less than thrilled and probably screamed his head off for the first quarter mile, but it quickly sank in that he wasn't getting out, and he settled down to enjoy the rest of the ride.
This is what I remember and this what I want my children to remember when they are older. And so it begins....
Andy and I took the babies on their very first 5K run on Saturday. Finish Chelsea's Run is dedicated to 17 year old Chelsea King, the Poway High student who tragically had her life cut short while out on a run in Rancho Bernardo. This 5k run is to help raise money for Chelsea's Light Foundation, which provides scholarship's to college-bound teens whom have "embraced Chelsea's service-over-self ethic." Needless to say, we were more than happy to participate.
We started the race in a sea of thousands, all there to show support for Chelsea's cause.
Bentley and Scarlett had no idea what was going on, but I know they will appreciate our efforts in the future♥
On a side note, at this time in Bentley's life, strollers are a thing of the past. He doesn't believe in sitting in one, and would much rather "walk like a big boy". This is a battle we do not believe is worth fighting. He is very good about walking right beside us or holding onto one of our hands. But for this race we HAD to put him in the stroller. Let's just say he was less than thrilled and probably screamed his head off for the first quarter mile, but it quickly sank in that he wasn't getting out, and he settled down to enjoy the rest of the ride.
At one point we were running on the 163 fwy.
The last 1/2 mile or so was all up hill, and once we had about 200 yards to go, we let Bentley run to the finish line;-)
Everyone was cheering him on:) It was one of my proudest moments as a mommy, seeing my little guy running as fast as he can, so excited to cross that line♥
Our time- 49:06. Not bad, considering the jumbo double jogger we were pushing the entire way;)
After race festivities
We look forward to our next 5k as well as Finishing Chelsea's Run again next year!♥
♥, The Happy Wife
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Vegas With Babies.
We took the babies to Vegas for a mini family vacation. This was Bentley's 2nd time and Scarlett's 1st. Andy and I always have so much fun there, with or without kids. The first time we took Bentley, he was 4 months old and we spent the entire day in a cabana at the pool and my parents came out to watch him at night, which was SO nice! It was only a matter of time that we'd be back with 2 little ones in tow♥
The drive to Vegas now takes us about 4 hours from San Diego. It was pretty uneventful, which is great, because I was a little concerned with how the babies would handle being strapped in for such a long period of time. We did make one stop at Starbucks along the way and I HAD to snap this picture of Andy squeezed in between both car seats with the kids and his coffee:) (My Dad was in the front seat;)
My parents joined us again this time and offered to babysit one of the nights while we went out. We had dinner and drinks at Rice & Co., and tried our luck at the tables/slots afterwards♥
I sadly cannot remember the last time I stayed up past midnight, but I did it this night! Apparently, my body is so used to the current lack of sleep that it didn't phase me in the slightest. I was up and ready to start our day at 6am the next morning!
Now, aside from the early morning wake-up calls, the only tough part about bringing babies on a vacation is the nap schedule. Especially with a toddler who NEEDS that nap in order to survive! So we didn't exactly do everything we had planned, but we were able to get ourselves to the Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay, which we really wanted to see. Bentley thoroughly enjoyed this part of the trip:)
♥
Touching a stingray
We also attempted to go to the pool, but naps and feedings squashed that idea. But of course I didn't forget to snap a pic of my little girl in her first bathing suit♥
We did have a very exciting moment when we saw that Scarlett had grabbed the toy lion in front of her, pulled it in tight, and started chewing its ear. This is the second time she's reached a new milestone while we're on vacation (grabbing an object) I'll take it as a sign that we need to be going out of town more frequently this year;)
Memory Lane-Bentley 4 months old in LV
The drive to Vegas now takes us about 4 hours from San Diego. It was pretty uneventful, which is great, because I was a little concerned with how the babies would handle being strapped in for such a long period of time. We did make one stop at Starbucks along the way and I HAD to snap this picture of Andy squeezed in between both car seats with the kids and his coffee:) (My Dad was in the front seat;)
Pomegranate Martinis (my fave)
Now, aside from the early morning wake-up calls, the only tough part about bringing babies on a vacation is the nap schedule. Especially with a toddler who NEEDS that nap in order to survive! So we didn't exactly do everything we had planned, but we were able to get ourselves to the Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay, which we really wanted to see. Bentley thoroughly enjoyed this part of the trip:)
And of course, Scarlett slept through the whole thing:(
Komodo Dragon, these things are enormous!
♥
Touching a stingray
I can literally stare at jellyfish all day, they are quite relaxing to watch
Mom, Dad and Scarlett
The drive home was perfect. Scarlett and Bentley both slept for 3 hours straight. We made one stop for smoothies and to stretch our legs and then we were back on the rode! Until next time:)
♥, The Happy Wife
Monday, February 20, 2012
Bentley Allen
My full of energy, full of life, full of love, 22 month old baby boy. This little one gave me high blood pressure while I was pregnant with him, and has been known to raise it on occasion since;-)
Bentley was my experimental child. I had no idea, like most, what I was getting myself into with the first born. And needless to say, was a little bit blindsided! The pregnancy itself was wonderful. I never wanted it to end, I absolutly enjoyed being pregnant. Even though this was considered a high risk pregnancy, you'd never know it. I was diagnosed with hypertension right around 9 weeks along and was immediatly put on medication. I was also ordered to see the perinatologist regularly. But this just meant I'd be able to see my precious little boy through ultrasound that much more! I went in for visits just about every month where they'd take his measurements and listen to his heartbeat. The ultrasounds were amazing, every one of them were in 4D and being able to watch him grow and wiggle around in there was so special for Andy and I.
We knew that with the risk of preeclampsia, it was not safe for me to go beyond my due date. Each day past 40 weeks would increase my risks and I would need to be induced if he was late. I was perfectly fine with this, I just wanted my baby to be OK. My Dr. ended up sending me to the hospital for induction on May 4th, the day before my due date. I was thrilled to know that this was a sure thing. I'd be induced, I would opt out of an epidural, labor would progress quickly and then BAM! a baby. But I couldn't have been more wrong! My entire labor lasted 42 hours. The pain of it was so shockingly bad, I can't even explain. I made it about 22 hours and 5 cm dilated without an epidural, and it was not pretty. I had completely lost control in a situation where the number one rule of thumb is to remain in control and "stay focused". In the midst of crying, screaming and vomiting, I was able to sign the papers and somehow hold perfectly still for someone to slide a needle into my spine. This is me before the horrific labor pains set in.
After the epidural, I was finally able to relax and concentrate on the amazing task at hand:) Then finally, after another 20 hours or so of labor, I was exhausted and starving but ready to go!! I'm pretty sure my excitement is what got me through the delivery because I had zero energy at this point. Shortly there-after, we became parents. Our preciously plump and adorable little boy was finally here!! May 6, 2010, Bentley Allen, 8 lbs. 4 ounces of love♥
At this point I just wanted to enjoy my little bundle. This was such a new and exciting learning experience and it was not easy by any means. I struggled to find confidence as a new Mother, it was very scary at times, not knowing how to make my little one feel better when he was upset and crying. I recall many times reaching out to my older sister for help, as she has 4 of her own. This involved some very late night phone calls, but she was always there for me. For that, I thank her. I firmly believe that Bentley's adorable personality and smile is what got us through the tough times and made it all worth while:)
Today, our little Bentley is 22 months old. He is now a big brother to little sister Scarlett, and an amazing one at that. He truly loves his sister and you can see that in the gentle way he touches her face or hand, the kisses he gives her and the "baby" voice he makes when talking to her♥ His vocabulary includes, but is not limited to the following- Hi, bye, ball, bless you, cat, dog, poo poo, thank you, apple (bopple), momma, eye, daddy, uh oh, choo choo, icky, nana (banana), and a few others that only Andy or I can decipher:) He can point out his nose, eyes, ears, mouth, hair, feet, hands and belly button. He is so smart and learns incredibly fast, is full of energy one minute and a super cuddle bug the next. I am so in love with this little man its ridiculous. I get such great joy out of watching him learn and grow and look forward to what the coming years have in store for us♥
Bentley was my experimental child. I had no idea, like most, what I was getting myself into with the first born. And needless to say, was a little bit blindsided! The pregnancy itself was wonderful. I never wanted it to end, I absolutly enjoyed being pregnant. Even though this was considered a high risk pregnancy, you'd never know it. I was diagnosed with hypertension right around 9 weeks along and was immediatly put on medication. I was also ordered to see the perinatologist regularly. But this just meant I'd be able to see my precious little boy through ultrasound that much more! I went in for visits just about every month where they'd take his measurements and listen to his heartbeat. The ultrasounds were amazing, every one of them were in 4D and being able to watch him grow and wiggle around in there was so special for Andy and I.
We knew that with the risk of preeclampsia, it was not safe for me to go beyond my due date. Each day past 40 weeks would increase my risks and I would need to be induced if he was late. I was perfectly fine with this, I just wanted my baby to be OK. My Dr. ended up sending me to the hospital for induction on May 4th, the day before my due date. I was thrilled to know that this was a sure thing. I'd be induced, I would opt out of an epidural, labor would progress quickly and then BAM! a baby. But I couldn't have been more wrong! My entire labor lasted 42 hours. The pain of it was so shockingly bad, I can't even explain. I made it about 22 hours and 5 cm dilated without an epidural, and it was not pretty. I had completely lost control in a situation where the number one rule of thumb is to remain in control and "stay focused". In the midst of crying, screaming and vomiting, I was able to sign the papers and somehow hold perfectly still for someone to slide a needle into my spine. This is me before the horrific labor pains set in.
After the epidural, I was finally able to relax and concentrate on the amazing task at hand:) Then finally, after another 20 hours or so of labor, I was exhausted and starving but ready to go!! I'm pretty sure my excitement is what got me through the delivery because I had zero energy at this point. Shortly there-after, we became parents. Our preciously plump and adorable little boy was finally here!! May 6, 2010, Bentley Allen, 8 lbs. 4 ounces of love♥
At this point I just wanted to enjoy my little bundle. This was such a new and exciting learning experience and it was not easy by any means. I struggled to find confidence as a new Mother, it was very scary at times, not knowing how to make my little one feel better when he was upset and crying. I recall many times reaching out to my older sister for help, as she has 4 of her own. This involved some very late night phone calls, but she was always there for me. For that, I thank her. I firmly believe that Bentley's adorable personality and smile is what got us through the tough times and made it all worth while:)
2 months
3 months
5 months
Today, our little Bentley is 22 months old. He is now a big brother to little sister Scarlett, and an amazing one at that. He truly loves his sister and you can see that in the gentle way he touches her face or hand, the kisses he gives her and the "baby" voice he makes when talking to her♥ His vocabulary includes, but is not limited to the following- Hi, bye, ball, bless you, cat, dog, poo poo, thank you, apple (bopple), momma, eye, daddy, uh oh, choo choo, icky, nana (banana), and a few others that only Andy or I can decipher:) He can point out his nose, eyes, ears, mouth, hair, feet, hands and belly button. He is so smart and learns incredibly fast, is full of energy one minute and a super cuddle bug the next. I am so in love with this little man its ridiculous. I get such great joy out of watching him learn and grow and look forward to what the coming years have in store for us♥
22 months♥
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